What Is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a type of complementary therapy that uses hypnosis, which is an altered state of consciousness.

Hypnosis is widely promoted as a treatment for various long-term conditions and for breaking certain habits.

When might it be helpful?

Stress and Anxiety

Great demands and responsibilities are routinely placed on us. About one in seven people are suffering from stress or anxiety at any one time in the UK. And while some people manage, more and more people are showing signs of over-anxiety, which leads to stress, which can make a significant impact on the quality of life and wellbeing. Anxiety can also manifest itself in different worries; it may be fear of being around other people, it may be anxiety in specific social situations, anxiety in your relationships with particular people at home, at school or at work.

A hypnotherapist can help assess your anxiety, identifying the root of stress or anxiety. Then, together, we will set you a goal asking how you wish to feel, how you would like to be, and things that you would choose to do in your life if you were free of anxiety. We will then work with you to reach your goals using a range of different techniques. Every therapist may use slightly different techniques, but working towards the same goal.

After sessions with a hypnotherapist, you may feel more confident; more relaxed in situations that have previously challenged you. Many people say that they are calmer and that they have more clarity of thought – able to make decisions more easily.

Fear and Phobias

Phobias often develop during childhood and become aggravated during adulthood (although they can develop in adult years) and people often carry them around for decades, unaware of the fact that they can easily be eliminated using hypnosis. Fears are usually unreasonably exaggerated; when you have a phobia you feel as though you have no control over those feelings, in spite of knowing on a conscious level that the fear is irrational.Phobias bring about feelings of fear and anxiety and really inconvenience the victim by limiting their activities as they build their life “around” the phobia. If left untreated, phobias can lead to further detrimental effects, incapacitating the victim in situations that trigger the fears.Hypnotherapy works with accessing the subconscious mind and can help you let go of the fear or access the message behind the fear and make the positive change so you are free of it!

Stop Smoking

Hypnosis is proven as one of the most successful therapies for stopping smoking*. A wide-ranging study of ways to stop smoking, published in the New Scientist magazine, stated that: “Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking” New Scientist, October 1992

Hypnosis works by giving you control, enabling you to find the strength from within to achieve your goal.

Losing weight

Trying to lose weight can be a long and challenging journey. If you’ve ever tried and failed to lose weight before then you probably know just how frustrating it can be.

With weight loss hypnotherapy techniques it is possible to change your thinking patterns and gain control over cravings in a way that doesn’t depress you. By targeting the unconscious mind with powerful suggestion techniques, a hypnotherapist will help you develop a positive relationship with food and exercise. The aim of hypnotherapy for weight loss is to make you feel confident about your body, change any negative thoughts about eating and help you lose weight responsibly without impacting your emotional well-being.

Confidence

It’s fair to say hypnotherapy also works wonders around confidence and self-esteem. If you have a lack of confidence in certain areas and low self-esteem in other areas, or constantly think negatively, you need to re-frame your subconscious in order to make a lasting change.

Hypnosis works by re-educating the unconscious mind, giving you control over responses that you can’t control consciously, or by trying harder.

Sport Performance

Successful athletes are often able to control their state of mind so they have a psychological advantage which prevents them from underperforming or giving into their nerves. Hypnotherapy seeks to engage an athletes mind in a positive way to help them focus on their goals and achieve them. Being able to control negative thoughts and emotions is the basis of sports psychology and can often be achieved through hypnosis.

Sports people often refer to being in the ‘zone’. This means that they get totally absorbed in what they are doing and barely notice outside distractions when performing at their best. Hypnosis can often help individuals access the ‘zone’ so that they can use this to enhance their performance.